Experimental Research

Definition

 Experimental research attempts to establish

a cause-and-effect relationship between two
phenomena.
 It is basically quantitative
Purpose
 The researcher hypothesizes that one
variable, the independent variable, causes
changes in another variable, the dependent
variable.
independent variable affects dependent variable

 The purpose of the experimental design is to

eliminate alternative hypotheses. If we can
successfully eliminate all alternative
hypotheses, we can argue-by a process of
elimination- that the independent variable is
the cause.
Example

 A researcher may wish to determine

whether the explicit teaching of cultural
background information to university ESL
students will increase their
comprehension of certain texts.
Dependent Variable: comprehension of certain texts

Independent Variable: explicit teaching of cultural background

information
Example
 Say I am testing whether a new form of
psychotherapy is successful at improving mental
health. I hypothesize that this psychotherapy is the
cause of improved mental health in the research
participants.
I will use an experimental design to eliminate all (or
as many as possible) alternative hypotheses. If I can
eliminate alternative explanations, I will be able to
make the case that the psychotherapy was the cause
of the improvements in the research participants.
Dependent Variable: mental health
Independent Variable: a new form of psychotherapy
Research Question & Hypotheses
 The experimenter starts by making a series
decisions that involve narrowing the
question.
 Then, he converts the very general
question that guides study into a more
specific question or statement. This specific
formulation is a hypothesis.
 Procedures involved in conducting an
experimental study
 Decide on your hypothesis.
 Select subjects (participants/sample of the study)
 Divide subjects into groups if needed.
 Administer pretest (measurement before the
experiment begins)
 Implement and monitor treatment
-Experimental Treatment: The program you wish
to assess its effect
-Control Treatment: The existing program
 Administer posttest
Causality & Control
Experimental research attempts to establish
causality, and to be well aware of its limitations.
1- The study of Planned Change: Unlike naturalistic
research in which phenomena are studied in their
naturally occurring environments, an experiment, by
definition involves manipulating the situation.
For example, when the researchers compare the effects
of variations in responses to student writing in EFL
classes, they do not study existing classes with existing,
naturally occurring variations in teacher feedback. Rather,
they design differing response guidelines, ask the
teachers to implement them, and examine their effects
on student writing.
).Causality & Control )Cont

2- Random Assignment: The purpose of the

random assignment is to give each subject an equal
chance of participating in any one of the experimental
conditions. This is done to ensure that the groups are as
similar to one another as possible. The larger the sample,
of course, the more likely that the groups will be similar.
 Validity of Experimental Design
 Internal Validity
An experiment is designed to establish a cause-
and- effect relationship; that is, the researcher’s
goal is to be able to conclude that observed
differences between groups on the dependent
variables are attributable to the treatment, not
to other causes.
 External Validity (Generalizability of the study)
To what other subjects in what other situations
or settings would the results apply?
 Methods of Experimental Control
 Physical Control
Gives all subjects equal exposure to the independent
variable.
Controls non experimental variables that affect the
dependent variable.

 Selective Control - Manipulate indirectly by

selecting in or out variables that cannot be controlled.

 Statistical Control - Variables not conducive to

physical or selective manipulation may be controlled
by statistical techniques (example: covariance).